Submitted by
Users who Dugg This
The Amplifier
7745 Followers
Connor Livingston
5772 Followers
DIGG-WillNotFixMy-STATISTICS
12264 Followers
MediaSight
13125 Followers
I am Anomaly
14740 Followers
Ali Qayyum
4891 Followers
Jan in Colorado
7723 Followers
Skateboard
3879 Followers
gorgeoussand
8413 Followers
neotechniDec 21, 2010
Make it indistinguishable from a PC to websites, so assh**es like NPC/hulu cant block it.
pw378Dec 22, 2010
They are blocking based on flash version. Adobe shouldn't have so many flipping one-off versions.
pnorth12Dec 21, 2010
Google TV Blows. I thought it was going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, then realized I don't like bread. The interaction/interface with DishNetwork is horrible and basically just gives you PIP. I can't believe DickNetwork charges $4 a month for this dis-service.
Netflix looks terrible as well, it doesn't stream HD and is always dropping the network connection. My Blu-ray player right next to it streams fast, looks great, and never drops.
I can't believe this product was released as is. I'm pretty dissapointed. It would barely be worth $100.
dwtcDec 22, 2010
I'm streaming an HD Arrested Development episode right now, using the Sony Blu-Ray Google TV box.
pnorth12Dec 22, 2010
You're missing the point - I can stream too? The quality is not comparable currently. It is in no way even close to streaming via other methods. The quality is sub-par. It doesn't currently stream in HD so your tv or player is attempting to upconvert the signal. It would be much better if the box was actually attempting to broadcast in HD (for movies that are available in HD).
dwtcDec 22, 2010
No, I know what upconverted NetFlix looks like. At home I usually use my Wii to stream NetFlix instead of my Blu-Ray player because of precisely the issues you're describing -- the HD chokes after a few seconds, then tries to restart several times, and eventually ends up streaming at a really low bitrate so it looks totally horrible.
The Google TV box that I'm testing at work right now isn't doing that at all. It's streaming the episodes in actual HD (well, NetFlix's 720p), and it actually looks decent on the 42" display I'm using -- it doesn't look anything like using either my Wii (upconverted from 480) or Blu-Ray player (low-bitrate) at home. It is comparable to streaming HD via the website on my PC.
Did you have the Logitech box or the Sony?
johnny5kDec 22, 2010
I'm sorely disappointed with it, too. Great concept. Horrible implementation.
InsideGuidesDec 21, 2010
What are Google not doing...
david3133Dec 22, 2010
google is the best
uilhaoDec 22, 2010
well, $250 for the box was enough for me to turn away and buy a roku box instead, which I must say works wonders, glad I did.
baloourizaDec 22, 2010
Google TV needs a DVR, first and foremost, and one that is as feature complete as TiVo, if not moreso.
the4thaggieDec 22, 2010
Seeing how as I don't use cable TV to any extent anyway (too expensive), GTV would be a waste. I kind of liked it, but without support from sites like Hulu, this is not going to be a success. What I really like is Sony's controller. I haven't looked into it, but I would love to buy one and use it with my XBMC/Boxee HTPC.
Another problem you have is the fact that a lot of formats/codecs can not be played and network access to samba shares is not available (at least not the last time I checked. Oh well. It was a nice idea, but the content portion of the device is lacking, and that is what matters.
scoinvaDec 22, 2010
Integrate GV. Add a phone jack & webcam.
pnorth12Dec 22, 2010
They do have an integratable webcam.... It will run you about $150, or 50$ more than the Google TV box is even worth.
typeeeDec 22, 2010
That's a nice idea, market it as a free voip service to call US canada for free. So it would justify immediately.
dwtcDec 22, 2010
They lost me at #5:
5. Google TV Needs to Be Social
No it doesn't. That's the last thing they need to waste time on.
They say that "search doesn't cut it", but if I could just type in a show's name, find it and watch it, which is the intended premise of GoogleTV, then that would be awesome. But instead, hulu and the other network sites have to be jerks and block it so that you can't just find anything that's out there and watch it.
Closed AccountDec 22, 2010
Were you in on the meetigns at Google? If not, then how are you able to tell us what the INTENDED premise of Google TV is?
NO TV service will be succcessful if it makes people choose everything they want without giving them suggestions. The fact that you don't realize this shows that you don't understand how most people watch TV in the first place. People don't watch TV by saying "OK...I will watch this tonight. and then tomorrow I will watch that. And then absoluttely nothing else until Saturday." People like to discover new programs. Often through SOCIAL interaction. For people with lives, that social interaction is actually face to face interaction. For people without lives, that means being on the internet all day talking to "friends" that they have never seen before.
dwtcDec 22, 2010
Sorry, it just seems to me that everyone is trying to make products "social" without understanding what that means or how useful it really is.
I used to play around with Boxee, but its social features always seemed like the least interesting part of the experience. I don't mind seeing some of the stuff other people are watching, but I'm not really interested in seeing everything that everyone else is watching, and I'm really not interested in broadcasting everything I do.
The same goes for iTunes. Ping hasn't held any interest for me
I already have a social network built up on Facebook, and if I want people to know I liked the latest episode of the Office, I'll put it in a status update. I don't want to have to manage a whole other network of "friends" or followers just so that I can tell them what I watch or listen to.
And no, I wasn't in on the meetings at Google. But I seem to remember in their announcements some discussion about how you'll be able to enter the name of a show, and if it's available out there, it can start playing. That's what I think is useful. I may not be everyone.
The social aspect of a media box may be useful in discovering new shows to watch, but I already hear about tons of shows that I don't have time or the interest to watch... I hear about them on Facebook, or talking to people at work, or hanging out with friends, or in TV previews during the shows I already like to watch.
Right now, NetFlix is pretty much the only really useful media service, and since I already have access to that via the Wii and my Blu-Ray player, I don't have much need for GoogleTV. But if Google TV can unify all the content out there with a single search bar, I'll ditch my cable subscription and buy a box or two.
johnb41Dec 22, 2010
My biggest sticking point (other than it seems complex to use) is that i don't want to have to buy a whole new TV to get Google TV. Why can't we buy a little box (like Boxee) that enables Google TV functionality on our existing TVs? I'm years away from needing a new TV so Google TV is not an option for me any time soon.
johnb41Dec 22, 2010
Oh wait, nevermind, that does exist!
Closed AccountDec 22, 2010
Now we need 5 REASONS to do it.
typeeeDec 22, 2010
Provide apps and market it as a gaming device, instant success. Show people you can play angry bird on your 55" LED backlite tv
srodolffDec 22, 2010
My set top box can be social but I don't want to know about it unless I search for it. I'm watching TV to get away from "The Social Network".
amazetbmDec 23, 2010
What blows the most about it is all of the sites that block it. It's not much different than plugging a mediaPC into your TV, it's just comes in a more convient package...depending on device. The blocking is more psychological warfare than anything. They're hoping that people are too lazy and/or stupid to figure out that the sites are actually blocking the sites from a specific platform and blame the platform. Kinda like IE only websites.